Its Not Just All About Google Anymore
|
|
Those webmasters that stick to the old ways and focus entirely on Google are missing out on a lot of search traffic these days if they are not also well ranked by Yahoo and MSN.
For the first few months after Yahoo decided to go their own way with natural search (and MSN decided to get serious about the search business), the search results provided by those two could only be described as bizarre. Enough time has now passed that the dust has somewhat settled and there are three main (from a traffic standpoint) sites for quality natural searches.
The term "natural search" is to distinguish true searches, as opposed to paid advertisements which appear in the search results for many search engines these days. I guess you can't really fault the search engine companies from wanting to make some money (actually, BIG money) selling ad space, but the debate over the virtues of natural search versus paid advertising search is something that could make up a very thick book and still have no clear resolution...much like debates revolving around religion or politics.
Like most people that have been working as online home business entrepreneurs for a few years, I was strongly conditioned to the need to "feed the 800 pound gorilla" of the search engine world.Basically, "if Google didn't love you", it was very difficult toget any meaningful natural search traffic to your website. Since Google was actually the search engine that was serving up the results for most of the popular search portals, if Google didn't look kindly upon your site and rank you well, you would not be ranked well for most of the high traffic search sites on the Internet.
However, the search landscape changed dramatically early in 2004and things have been very fluid and interesting since that time. Its not that Google has stumbled, or become ineffective as a search vehicle, its just that major players like Yahoo and Microsoft (via MSN) have decided to make a major thrust into the search business.
Having been firmly conditioned (since shortly after 1998) that Google was the "supreme deity of search engines", I took the highly publicized search entries of Yahoo and MSN with more than the proverbial "grain of salt".
Throughout a recent three month period, one of my websitesoccupied the #5 position on Google, Yahoo, and MSN for a verypopular and important (at least in my line of business) three word search term. This situation provided an opportunity to measure the current popularity of each of these three search providers.
If asked "before the fact", I would have guessed that Googlewould still be the overwhelming #1 search choice and thatYahoo and MSN would be distant #2 and #3 choices. Therefore,I was somewhat surprised by the results that were tabulatedduring this recent 90 day period.
For the period in question, the search popularity results wereas follows:
Google: 33%
Yahoo: 31%
MSN: 23%
All others: 13%
Granted, the above results are for a single search term over aparticular 90 day time period, but the results clearly show that Yahoo and MSN are already important players in the searchbusiness.
Kirk Bannerman operates his own successful home based business and also coaches others seeking to start their own home based business. For more information visit his website at Proven Work At Home Business
|
|
|
Created & Maintained by Empower! CMS Web Sites
Host2Sell Web Hosting | Emarketing Workshops | Site SEO Review | FREE NewsletterHow To Get One Way Backlinks
Don't be fooled into believing that all backlinks are created equal because their not! Why, you may ask? It's no secret that many webmasters trade links left, and right, for the benefit of a higher ranking in the search results, but search engines have caught on to this technique, and are very aware that this is major threat to the relevance of the search results.Search engines such as Google have took steps in an effort to prevent this from becoming major problem by placing more importance on one way backlinks. So, how do you get one way backlinks to yo...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Is Something Missing From Your Keywords Research? (part 2)
In my previous article, I raised the issue that proper keyword research must take into account countries. The reason for that was that the demand for keywords can vary between countries. I gave examples of that fact using the Overture keyword tool.To support my argument (that we need to be aware of countries when doing keyword research), I gave 2 reasons:1. it will help us determine which countr(y/ies) to target, and2. it will help us know what countr(y/ies) our visitors are most likely to come from.I would like, in this article, to expand on these 2 reasons. I would also like to add further reasons why any keyword research must be country based.1. When doing keyword research, we need to understand...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Yahoo Dopey, Msn Goofy, Google Is Mickey Mouse Lost In A Sandbox
Seventy-two days ago Googlebot first showed up and crawled over 250 pages of a brand new domain in an experiment that has had an odd cartoonish character to it, where unexplained things happen with sometimes dark foreboding, a kind of Fantasia online.If you're unfamiliar with the Disney animation classic, Fantasia, Mickey Mouse plays a sorcerers' apprentice who wreaks havoc oneevening as he dons the bosses magic wand and merrily destroys the castle. Comparing Google to Mickey Mouse is probably not often taken to mean...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Ten Steps To A Well Optimized Website - Step 2: Content Creation
Welcome to part two in this search engine optimization series. In part one we covered the importance and tactics for choosing the keywords and keyword phrases that will provide the highest ROI for your optimization efforts. In part two we will discuss how to properly write content for high search engine positioning.Content is the key to search engine rankings. While there are numerous factors involved with the search engine algorithms, content remains a constant in stable rankings for a number of important reasons.Over this series we will cover the ten key aspects to a solid search engine positioning campaign.The Ten Steps We Will Go Through Are:Keyword Selection (Google Groups
Some very early users of the Internet - not the worldwide web as we know it today - but the Internet from the early 1980s, will have heard of, and likely used, Usenet. This was the collective name applied to text-based electronic bulletin boards that were used to communicate in the days before the web and email existed, and that are still in use today. The Usenet posts were first collected and organized for worldwide web use in 1995, by a company called Deja News. In 2001, Google bought Deja News and applied their considerable search expertise to Usenet posts. The result is Google Groups.There are w...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Affordable Small Business Seo: 5 Common Seo Errors And How To Fix Them
Don't put the cart before the horse.You can't do SEO (optimize your web site for search engines) until you've researched keywords. You can't research keywords without a clear view of your target market, your prospect types, and how your offerings fill their needs.Affordable Small Business SEO Affordable small business SEO not only uses the same old business and marketing basics, but also leverages the depth of accessible metrics for creating increased online traffic and better web site ROI.When small business people ask me how their web site could be improved by SEO, I give them some version of the following list of questions. When...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Google Tests Expanded Search To Include Printed Works
Google Labs is currently testing Google Print, which returns results from within scanned printed books along with Google's standard web search results. The searcher doesn't have to do anything special - the printed work results are already included in the Google database. Searchers have the option of narrowing their search by including, for example, the word "book" in their search terms. For example, a search on "home repair" might return a variety of web sites, online merchants, etc., while changing the search to "home rep...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Rock Your Rank With A Dynamite Text Link - Yahoo Directory Explodes Rankings
Last week a client called me excitedly exclaiming that theirGoogle PageRank had jumped a notch and their targeted keywordterm now ranked #23 (up from #45) for their competitive searchphrase. I asked the client if he'd been notified by Yahoo thathis site was now included in the index after we had submittedit three weeks ago. "Yes," he said, "but why are you changingthe subject?""I'm not changing the subject. Inclusion in Yahoo Directory isthe most likely reason for the jump in both your searchposition and your PageRank. Remember when you doubted thevalue of inclusion in the Yahoo Directory and I pushed forsubmission anyway? Now you know why...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
What Is Google Talk ?
The advent of Internet has affected lives of almost the entire world and websites, e-mails and chating on net none need any introduction even for young kids. There is an outpour of websites throughout the Internet all offering numerous services to attract the potential visitors online. The question actually matters is what's the foolproof way to keep visitors glued to a particular site and not jump to other numerous sites that are upcoming each new day. What makes one of the web pages much more popular than the other when both are based on almost similar theme. The answer lies in the way of presenting the information and the simplicity with which the users ...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Search Engine Optimization: What Is It?
Search Engine Optimization is the creation of a web page, purposely designed to rank well with the Search Engines.If you want traffic to your website then you must Optimize your website for the Search Engines.Search Engine Optimization is a necessity if you want a huge amount of traffic flowing to your website.Traffic from the Search Engines is one of the best (And most abundant) forms of traffic. Most people use Search Engines to find what they are looking for. I do a...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Why Fear? Now Change Your Filenames Without Disturbing Search Engines/visitors And Rank Well
By now, you know that to rank well in the Search Engines,you need to have the keyword in your URL's directory nameand filename, if not in the domain name as well.So, if you want to target a keyword, say, 'Woolen Socks', thebest way to do it is (a) to have a domain name that containsthe word 'woolen socks' in it (like: BuyWoolenSocks.com),(b) place the information page in the 'woolen-socks' ...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Guide To Getting Linked
Getting links from other websites pointing to your site can sometimes seem very hard and time consuming. There are several ways to get people interested in your site, you've just got to be creative with it and think more in terms of putting yourself in the other webmaster's shoes- figure out what the advantages are for them to be linked to you!One thing that you often hear is that to attain a high Page Rank thru Google, (which, let's face it, is the Big Daddy of Search Engines) that you have to link to other high PR sites. This is not necessarily true. No one is 100% on the relevance of PR rank affecting a link exchange. Link to as many non-link ...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
Easy Web Tips
How can you be found on the web?The web is a necessity as we have mentioned before. It has become one of the things that you will be asked about in almost every meeting you have with clients. You may also be asked at any of the networking groups you attend. Why do people ask? It is simply to verify what you are saying. The web has a tendency to substantiate all of the elevator pitches and spiels that you give when first meeting with people. When I first started out reinventing myself and wishing to go back to my consulting background, I called on someone that I had worked with on some interesting projects. I told her what I was planning on doing since the project we were working on was cancelled. I forwarded my contact information outside of the project and the first thing she did was to look at the...(related: Search Engine Optimization)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 Empower! Web Design | All Rights Reserved. | Search Engine Optimization